This is not how to play chappa

No, no, no! It is important to keep your head away from the chappa at all times. Fingers and toes too. Last week, I was suddenly forced to play atarigane, an equally, undeniably loud clanging instrument. It kind of looks like a large, metal petri dish that is hit with a small mallet made from deer horn (deers are messengers of the gods by the way, and I love deer). Not only had I absolutely no experience playing the thing, but it was for a video to try to get into a taiko playing competition. I had to learn how to get a good sound out of the thing, dance around with it, and make up patterns to match the song we were performing--all on the spot. Talk about pressure! I pretended like I knew what I was doing, and no one really noticed, so I guess it'll work.